Working from the digital agency side, I’ve seen a wide range of people on the client side who are our primary point-of-contact for e-commerce projects and campaigns.
Regardless of title, the role is often seen by executive management as a project management role rather than a strategic role. Some clients appoint an IT department project manager, a marketing department manager, and others a creative department staffer.
Ideally, the role to craft and execute the e-commerce strategy should be filled by someone with at least cross-departmental responsibilities that span Marketing, Merchandising, Customer Service and Operational functions including Inventory and Fulfillment.
SEE ALSO: BRINGING INBOUND MARKETING TO YOUR E-COMMERCE
Note that some executives still delegate all “technology” related roles to the traditional IT department by default, but e-commerce is less about information technology once you engage a digital agency, and much more about business and e-commerce strategy due to the numerous “customer experience” decisions to be made.
What are the ideal candidate qualifications for an e-commerce manager?
Online and e-commerce strategy is increasingly becoming a mission critical factor- whether consumer facing (B2C) or business-to-business (B2B) - yet many organizations fail to appoint a C-level executive to oversee it, much less get involved. Reflected by this is often the amount of attention and budget on what is increasingly a competitive necessity if not advantage, and a channel that can directly affect the bottom line and profitability.
The ideal candidate should have direct e-commerce management experience and firm understanding of the company’s business and operational processes. They should know the company’s cost-of-goods-sold, inventory systems, fulfillment processes, cost centers (e.g. shipping), profit centers, customer policies as well as market & brand position, customer profiles, competitive advantages and challenges, etc. All of these areas of the company’s business should be considered in necessary decisions and choices needed to succeed in today’s complex and ultra-competitive online environment.
SEE ALSO: HOW IMAGES AND VIDEOS IMPROVE SEO
Critical decisions need to be made by informed and influential manager(s) who have reach into various operational functions in a company. This individual needs to have access and influence over various departments in an organization and be able to coordinate and rally internal teams.
What are the responsibilities of your online/e-commerce manager?
The online/e-Commerce manager should be responsible for the development and continuous improvement of the company’s online presence as well as the performance of the E-Commerce platforms.
Online marketing campaigns, content development, and merchandising need to be coordinated with any offline campaigns and publications. These marketing campaigns should result in measurable performance metrics that include most critically conversion rates, average order values (AOV), customer acquisition cost (CAC), and lifetime value (LTV).
Crafting an e-commerce strategy around KPI’s and company objectives will result in higher returns. Contact a team of seasoned e-commerce experts to build an e-commerce strategy around your business objectives.
